Bavarian Zionist Congress Calls On Survivors to Immigrate
to Palestine

(June 24, 1945)

After a day of speeches and discussions, the assembled
delegates composed a declaration reflecting Zionist thinking among the
members of She'arit Hapleta at this formative stage. The First Congress
of Zionists in Bavaria demanded that the survivors should draw the only
possible conclusion from their tragedy: the ending of the European Diaspora,
and the immigration of the survivors to Palestine. The ending of the
European Diaspora was not only the first step towards their immigration,
but an important deed in its own right. It was to be an act of self-respect,
of rebellion against the Diaspora submission and patient acceptance
of Jewish fate. They felt that this was the most significant form of
Jewish revenge. "For two thousand years we have given unstintingly
of our strength to this accursed Europe", and after they had worked,
created and even spilt their blood for its sake, the Jews received their
reward during the war. This was the origin of the call to "take
a momentous decision to devote all our energy and creative talents exclusively
to our own people. This must be our answer to Europe, and this will
be our revenge on all the peoples who did us such harm".

From: Mankovitz, Ze'ev, Ideology and Politics Among
She'arit Hapleta in the American Zone of Occupation in Germany 1945-1946,
Ph.D. thesis, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1987, p. 51 (Hebrew).